iOS 17.5 update is giving some users anxiety, thanks to major bug

The latest iOS 17.5 update is causing iPhone to show photos deleted years ago as a new bug appears to have embarrassed several users.

Published By: Shubham Verma | Published: May 16, 2024, 06:46 PM (IST) | Edited: May 16, 2024, 06:47 PM (IST)

Highlights

  • The Photos app is showing old, deleted photos to some users.
  • These users updated their iPhone to the recently launched iOS 17.5 update.
  • Apple has not acknowledged the bug yet.

Apple rolled out the iOS 17.5 update earlier this week, bringing minor updates to select apps and ramping up the device security. But it apparently turned into a headache for some users who reported their iPhones began showing photos that were deleted years ago. The new iOS 17.5 update may have a bug that is adding long-deleted photos to the top of the Photos app. Also Read: Apple testing ‘Ask Siri’ button, new UI ahead of WWDC 2026

Several users who updated their iPhone to iOS 17.5 (spotted by 9to5Google) said old photos that were deleted years ago began appearing again in the Photos app. For some users, the bug turned into a nightmare when a few of their NSFW photos resurfaced in the app while sharing the latest photos with a contact. Also Read: iOS 27 may bring dedicated Siri App with ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok-like features

Is the iOS 17.5 bug a nightmare?

"When in conversation with my partner, I went to send a picture and saw that the latest pictures were NSFW material we'd made years ago when we were living apart. It was permanently deleted years ago, but magically it's back? I checked my iPad and it also has pictures (some art work I did years ago). I feel so uncomfortable," wrote a user on Reddit. Also Read: Apple launches new business platform to Manage devices, apps and employees easily

"Same here. I have four pics from 2010 that keep reappearing as the latest pics uploaded to iCloud. I have deleted them repeatedly," another user said while replying in the thread. Several other users have reported the same issue on their updated iPhone and iPad devices.

What is causing the problem?

Apple has not yet acknowledged the issue, meaning there is no way to tell what is causing old and deleted photos to reappear in the Photos app. The Photos app has a "Recently Deleted" folder that keeps images deleted from the main folder for 30 days and junks them for good after. But this issue is different because the photos users are seeing are older than 30 days and, hence, could not possibly have been residing in the "Recently Deleted" album.

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